– UFC DOCTOR VERIFIES PENN’S RIB INJURY

by Matt Hill – MMAWeekly.com
UFC doctors have verified the rib injury that Penn believed he sustained during the second round of his fight with Matt Hughes, according to BJPenn.com. The injury has been found to be a fracture of Penn’s costochondral junction.

According to the findings of physician Sameer Nagda, MD, “There is evidence of a fracture of the right tenth costochondral junction with evidence of surrounding soft tissue edema and fluid consistent with moderate grade muscle strains of the intercostals and oblique musculature in the region of fracture.”

According to MedHelp.org, the costochondral junction is, “The point where the ribs articulate with the sternum.” What this essentially means is that during his fight with Hughes, Penn sustained a fracture of the connective tissue between his ribs and the sternum. This injury is considered to be a rib fracture.

Penn’s web site says, “While in Las Vegas for UFC 64, BJ met with the UFC’s orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine doctor in Las Vegas for a physical exam and diagnostic MRI study of his ribs and oblique muscles on his right side. The report verified and substantiated exactly what happened to BJ at the end of the second round when he thrusted up and around to gain Matt’s back. During this upward and twisting movement, BJ pulled/tore internal muscles located inside and around the bottom right rib and fractured the rib. As explained, this type of trauma can and will cause a constriction of his right lung, leading to a substantially diminished breathing capacity.”

This new report verifies what has thus far been a disputed claim of injury by BJ Penn in the weeks following his UFC 64 loss to Matt Hughes.